Yaman Akdeniz

Fellow Yaman Akdeniz (co-funded with the OSI Information Programs) was invited by the Prime Minister of Turkey to discuss issues related to his fellowship research on the modernization of Turkey's policy processes as a keynote speaker at a seminar of civil servants. His fellowship report entitled Internet Governance: Toward the Modernization of the Policymaking Process in Turkey published by the Turkish Informatics Society attracted significant media coverage and public debate.

Fellow projects2005 - 2006: Freedom of information in Turkey: A critical assessmentThe objectives of the project are to analyze the implementation and application of the Turkish Right to Information Act by the central government (Ministries) and local governments (Municipalities) together with the decisions made by the Turkish Freedom of Information Council; produce a final country report -based upon this research- with research findings and policy recommendations to coincide with the publication of the second annual report of the Freedom of Information Council; promote access to information and the successes and shortfalls of implementing the Turkish Right to Information Act as a useful model for other countries in the Central European region; target the findings of this project to non-governmental organizations, to civil society activists, to Turkish and Central European civil servants and government officials, as well as to the OSI network; and write research and policy study with policy recommendations for policy makers.

Working groups: Information Policy

Relevant countries: Turkey

2003 - 2004: Information society in Turkey: Civil society participation in the policymaking processThe objectives of the project are to conduct research on legal and policy developments involving the establishment of an information society in Turkey; assess the impact of civil society participation on the current policymaking process in Turkey and develop recommendations for future action; provide training to NGO and civil society representatives and academics working in the field of law and policy issues involving e-democracy, human rights and the Internet in Turkey; and write a research and policy paper for the Turkish government and parliamentarians, NGOs such as Turkiye Bilisim Vakfi and Internet ve Hukuk Platformu, and the Turkey offices of the European Commission and Council of Europe.